Wireless charging and positioning device and method

ABSTRACT

A wireless charging and positioning device, adapted to a mobile vehicle, includes: an ultra-wideband transceiver disposed at the mobile vehicle, and configured to transmit a pulse wave signal and receive a reflected signal in response to the pulse wave signal; a charging coil disposed at the mobile vehicle, and controlled to charging a battery of the mobile vehicle; and a signal processor connected to the ultra-wideband transceiver and the charging coil, the signal processor configured to control the ultra-wideband transceiver to transmit the pulse wave signal and obtain the reflected signal when the mobile vehicle locates in a designated area where a power supply device is disposed in, determine a distance between the mobile vehicle and the power supply device according to the reflected signal, and control the charging coil to receive power from the power supply device to charge the battery when the distance falls within a default range.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) on Patent Application No(s). 63/394,010 filed in U.S. on Aug. 1, 2022, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

This disclosure relates to a wireless charging and positioning device and method, especially to a wireless charging and positioning device and method adapted to mobile vehicle.

2. Related Art

Electric vehicles are becoming more and more popular with consumers. The motors in these vehicles are typically powered by a number of accumulators located in the vehicle's battery pack. If the battery needs to be charged while the vehicle is parked, it is usually up to the user to connect a plug or leaded charging device to the vehicle. The technology of wireless charging emerges as the above charging method is inconvenient for some users.

However, it is difficult for the user to determine whether the current parking position can achieve higher charging efficiency. In addition, the charging time of wireless charging is relatively long, which may cause users to spend a lot of time to wait for the charging to be finished.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, this disclosure provides a wireless charging and positioning device and method.

According to one or more embodiment of this disclosure, a wireless charging and positioning device, adapted to a mobile vehicle, includes: an ultra-wideband transceiver disposed at the mobile vehicle, and configured to transmit a pulse wave signal and receive a reflected signal in response to the pulse wave signal; a charging coil disposed at the mobile vehicle, and controlled to charging a battery of the mobile vehicle; and a signal processor connected to the ultra-wideband transceiver and the charging coil, configured to control the ultra-wideband transceiver to transmit the pulse wave signal and obtain the reflected signal when the mobile vehicle locates in a designated area where a power supply device is disposed in, determine a distance between the mobile vehicle and the power supply device according to the reflected signal, and control the charging coil to receive power from the power supply device to charge the battery when the distance falls within a default range.

According to one or more embodiment of this disclosure, a wireless charging and positioning method, performed by a signal processor, and the method includes: obtaining information associated with a location of a mobile vehicle; controlling an ultra-wideband transceiver to transmit a pulse wave signal and obtain a reflected signal when the location of the mobile vehicle is in a designated area where a power supply device is disposed in; determining a distance between the mobile vehicle and the power supply device according to the reflected signal; determining whether the distance falls within a default range; and controlling a charging coil of the mobile vehicle to receive power from the power supply device to charge a battery of the mobile vehicle when the distance falls within a default range.

In view of the above description, the wireless charging and positioning device and method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may control the charging coil to receive power from the power supply device after confirming that the distance between the mobile vehicle and the power supply device is appropriate. Accordingly, the battery charging efficiency of the mobile vehicle may be effectively improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only and thus are not limitative of the present disclosure and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless charging and positioning device and method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an application of a wireless charging and positioning device and method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a wireless charging and positioning method and method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless charging and positioning device and method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of examining charging status of a battery according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of examining charging status of a battery according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling the mobile vehicle to move to the designated area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. According to the description, claims and the drawings disclosed in the specification, one skilled in the art may easily understand the concepts and features of the present invention. The following embodiments further illustrate various aspects of the present invention, but are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , wherein FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless charging and positioning device and method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an application of a wireless charging and positioning device and method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1 , the wireless charging and positioning device 1 includes an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver 11, a charging coil 12 and a signal processor 13. The signal processor 13 is connected to the UWB transceiver 11 and the charging coil 12 in a wired or wireless way.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the wireless charging and positioning device 1 may be disposed at a mobile vehicle 3. The mobile vehicle 3 may include a battery 31 and selectively includes an automatic pilot system 32. The charging coil 12 of the wireless charging and positioning device 1 may be electrically connected to the battery 31, and the signal processor 13 may be connected to the automatic pilot system 32 in a wired or wireless way. Specifically, the UWB transceiver 11 and the charging coil 12 are disposed at the mobile vehicle 3, and the signal processor 13 may be disposed at/in the mobile vehicle 3 or disposed externally to the mobile vehicle 3. For example, the signal processor 13 may be implemented by the signal processor of electronic devices of a user, such as a smart phone, computer, tablet etc. The wireless charging and positioning device 1 may further include other remote communication components for the signal processor 13 to control the UWB transceiver or/and the charging coil 12. FIG. 2 exemplarily shows the mobile vehicle as a car, but the mobile vehicle may also be an air drone, a robot etc., the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The UWB transceiver 11 transmits a pulse wave signal and receives a reflected signal, wherein the reflected signal is in response to the pulse wave signal. The charging coil 12 is controlled to charge the battery 31 of the mobile vehicle 3. When the mobile vehicle 3 locates in a designated area where a power supply device 5 is disposed in, the signal processor 13 controls the UWB transceiver 11 to transmit the pulse wave signal and obtain the reflected signal, and selectively controls the charging coil 12 to receive power from the power supply device 5 according to the reflected signal to charge the battery 31 of the mobile vehicle 3. The signal processor 13 may include one or more processors, and the processor is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microcontroller, a programmable logic controller or other processors with signal processing function. The designated area may be an area surrounding/near the power supply device 5. For example, the power supply device 5 may be a wireless charging station, configured to charge the battery 31 of the mobile vehicle 3 locates in the designated area.

To further explain the operation of the wireless charging and positioning device 1, please refer to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , wherein FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a wireless charging and positioning method and method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3 , the wireless charging and positioning method includes: step S101: obtaining information associated with a location of the mobile vehicle; step S103: controlling the ultra-wideband transceiver to transmit the pulse wave signal and obtain the reflected signal when the location of the mobile vehicle is in the designated area where the power supply device is disposed in; step S105: determining a distance between the mobile vehicle and the power supply device according to the reflected signal; step S107: determining whether the distance falls within a default range; if the determination result of step S107 is “yes”, performing step S109: controlling the charging coil of the mobile vehicle to receive power from the power supply device to charge the battery of the mobile vehicle; and if the determination result of step S107 is “no”, performing step S111: notifying the automatic pilot system to adjust the position of the mobile vehicle, and performing step S107 again. The wireless charging and positioning method shown in FIG. 3 may be adapted to the wireless charging and positioning device 1 shown in FIG. 1 , and the following exemplarily explains the wireless charging and positioning method of FIG. 3 with the wireless charging and positioning device 1 shown in FIG. 1 .

In step S101, the signal processor 13 may obtain the information associated with the location of the mobile vehicle 3 through a positioning module disposed at/in the mobile vehicle 3, wherein the positioning module may operate the global positioning system (GPS), or the signal processor 13 may obtain the information associated with the location of the mobile vehicle 3 from the automatic pilot system 32 after the automatic pilot system 32 finishing moving the mobile vehicle 3. Alternatively, the signal processor 13 may obtain a notification from the automatic pilot system 32 indicating that a designated movement process performed on the mobile vehicle 3 is finished, wherein the designated movement process represents moving the mobile vehicle 3 to the designated area where the power supply device 5 is disposed in.

In step S103 and step S105, when the information associated with the location of the mobile vehicle 3 indicates that the mobile vehicle 3 locates in the designated area where the power supply device 5 is disposed in, the signal processor 13 controls the UWB transceiver 11 to emit the pulse wave signal and receive the corresponding reflected signal, and determines a distance D1 between the mobile vehicle 3 and the power supply device 5 according to the reflected signal. In other words, after the mobile vehicle 3 moves to the designated area, the pulse wave signal and the reflected signal may be used to detect whether the power supply device 5 locates adjacent to the mobile vehicle 3. Furthermore, the UWB transceiver 11 may be disposed adjacent to the charging coil 12, and the distance D1 between the charging coil 12 and the power supply device 5 may be determined according to the reflected signal.

In step S107, the signal processor 13 determines whether the distance D1 between the mobile vehicle 3 and the power supply device 5 falls within the default range. The default range is, for example, not greater than 10 cm or not greater than 25 cm. The default range may be set in advance based on the transmission range of the power supply device and the charging coil 12, the present disclosure does not limit default range.

If the distance D1 between the mobile vehicle 3 and the power supply device 5 falls within the default range, then in step S109, the signal processor 13 controls the charging coil 12 to receive power from the power supply device 5 to charge the battery 31 of the mobile vehicle 3. For example, a connection between the signal processor 13 and the power supply device 5 may be built in advance, and after the signal processor 13 determines that the distance D1 between the mobile vehicle 3 and the power supply device 5 falls within the default range, the signal processor 13 may output notification to a processor of the power supply device 5 to notify the power supply device 5 to start providing power. The power supply device 5 may be used to, for example, charge the battery 31 of the mobile vehicle 3 through wireless charging or wired charging by automatic docking.

On the contrary, if the distance D1 between the mobile vehicle 3 and the power supply device 5 does not fall within the default range, then in step S111, the signal processor 13 may notify the automatic pilot system 32 of the mobile vehicle 3 to adjust the position of the mobile vehicle 3, thereby adjusting the distance D1 between the mobile vehicle 3 and the power supply device 5, and the signal processor 13 may perform step S107 again. In short, the signal processor 13 may notify the power supply device 5 to start providing power when the location of the mobile vehicle 3 is in a range of capable of receiving power, and adjust the distance D1 between the mobile vehicle 3 and the power supply device 5 when the location of the mobile vehicle 3 is not yet in the range of capable of receiving power.

Through the above structure, since the UWB transceiver 11 has a transmission range of 10 cm to 30 cm, the charging coil 12 may be controlled to receive power from the power supply device 5 after determining that the distance D1 between the mobile vehicle 3 and the power supply device 5 is appropriate. Accordingly, the charging efficiency of the battery of the mobile vehicle 3 may be effectively improved.

Please refer to FIG. 4 , wherein FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless charging and positioning device and method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example of FIG. 4 , the mobile vehicle may have the automatic pilot system, as shown in FIG. 2 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the wireless charging and positioning device 2 includes a UWB transceiver 21, a charging coil 22, a signal processor 23, a battery management system (BMS) 24 and a gateway 25. The signal processor 23 is connected to the UWB transceiver 21, the charging coil 22, the BMS 24 and the gateway 25 in a wired or wireless way. The implementation, functions and connection relationships of the UWB transceiver 21, the charging coil 22 and the signal processor 23 are the same as the UWB transceiver 11, the charging coil 12 and the signal processor 13 shown in FIG. 1 , and their descriptions are not repeated herein. The wireless charging and positioning device 2 shown in FIG. 4 may be disposed in the mobile vehicle 3 in the same way as that of the wireless charging and positioning device 1 shown in FIG. 2 .

The BMS 24 is configured to be connected to the battery of the mobile vehicle, and measure the battery to generate the charging efficiency. The BMS 24 may be disposed in the mobile vehicle. The gateway 25 may be configured to provide data transmission of controller area network (CAN), local interconnect network (LIN), media oriented systems transport (MOST), and car network FlexRay etc. of the mobile vehicle. The gateway 25 may communicate with electronic device(s) of the user through GPS, long term evolution (LTE) or 5th generation mobile network (5G) etc. The gateway 25 may be disposed on the mobile vehicle.

Please refer to FIG. 2 , FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 , wherein FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of examining charging status of a battery according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5 , the method of the battery examining charging status includes: step S201: controlling a battery management system to measure the battery to generate a charging efficiency; step S203: determining whether the charging efficiency satisfies a default efficiency; if the determination result of step S203 is “yes”, performing step S201 again; and if the determination result of step S203 is “no”, performing step S205: notifying the automatic pilot system to adjust a direction or position of a vehicle body of the mobile vehicle. The method of examining charging status of the battery shown in FIG. 5 may be performed after step S109 of FIG. 3 . The method of examining charging status of the battery shown in FIG. 5 may be adapted to the wireless charging and positioning device 2 shown in FIG. 4 , and the following exemplarily explains the method of examining charging status of the battery shown in FIG. 5 with the wireless charging and positioning device 2 shown in FIG. 4 .

In step S201, the signal processor 23 controls the BMS 24 to measure the battery 31 that is currently receiving power through the charging coil 22 to generate the corresponding charging efficiency of the battery 31. In step S203, the signal processor 23 determines whether the charging efficiency satisfies the default efficiency, wherein the default efficiency is, for example, not smaller than 60%, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

If the charging efficiency satisfies the default efficiency, the signal processor 23 may perform step S201 again to continue to monitor the charging status of the battery 31 to generate the charging efficiency. If the charging efficiency does not satisfy the default efficiency, then in step S205, the signal processor 23 notifies the automatic pilot system 32 of the mobile vehicle 3 to adjust the direction A1 or position of the vehicle body of the mobile vehicle 3 to improve the charging efficiency of the battery 31. Take FIG. 2 for example, the signal processor 23 may notify the automatic pilot system 32 to adjust the position of the mobile vehicle 3 to make an angle between the direction A1 of the vehicle body of the mobile vehicle 3 and the distance D1 to become approximately a right angle, or to make the angle between the direction A1 of the vehicle body of the mobile vehicle 3 and the distance D1 to become an acute or obtuse angle.

In addition, when the signal processor 23 notifies the automatic pilot system 32 to adjust the direction A1 or position of the vehicle body of the mobile vehicle 3, the signal processor 23 may at the same time control the UWB transceiver 21 to transmit the pulse wave signal and receive the reflected signal to avoid said adjustment causing the distance D1 between the mobile vehicle 3 and the power supply device 5 to fall outside of the default range. Further, when the charging efficiency does not satisfy the default efficiency, the signal processor 23 may be configured to output notification to the electronic device of the user through the gateway 25. Therefore, the user may learn the charging status and location of the mobile vehicle 3, and arrange the mobile vehicle 3 to leave the designated area.

In the above embodiments, according to the charging efficiency of wireless charging, the angle and position of the mobile vehicle relative to the power supply device may be adjusted by the UWB positioning technology to improve the efficiency of wireless charging.

Please refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 6 , wherein FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of examining charging status of a battery according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6 , the method of examining charging status of the battery includes: step S301: controlling the battery management system to measure the charging coil to generate an inductance value; step S303: determining whether the inductance value falls within a foreign object detection range; if the determination result of step S303 is “yes”, performing step S305: controlling the charging coil to stop receiving the power; step S307: outputting a notification through the gateway; and if the determination result of step S303 is “no”, performing step S301 again. Step S305 of FIG. 6 may be performed before or after step S307, and may also be performed simultaneously with step S307. The method of examining charging status of the battery shown in FIG. 6 may be performed after step S109 of FIG. 3 , and the method of examining charging status of the battery shown in FIG. 6 may be performed in parallel with the method of examining charging status of the battery shown in FIG. 5 . The method of examining charging status of the battery shown in FIG. 6 may be adapted to the wireless charging and positioning device 2 shown in FIG. 4 , and the following exemplarily explains the method of examining charging status of the battery shown in FIG. 6 with the wireless charging and positioning device 2 shown in FIG. 4 .

In step S301 and step S303, the signal processor 23 controls the BMS 24 to measure the charging coil 22 to generate the inductance value (for example, Q value), and performs foreign object detection (FOD) by determining whether the inductance value falls within the foreign object detection range. For example, when the inductance value approaches 0 (the foreign object detection range), it means that there might be metal object on the charging coil 22, and the wireless charging is stopped accordingly.

If the signal processor 23 determines that the inductance value falls within the foreign object detection range, it means that there might be foreign object on the charging coil 22, and the signal processor 23 may perform step S305 and step S307. In step S305, the signal processor 23 controls the charging coil 22 to stop receiving power from the power supply device; in step S307, the signal processor 23 outputs the notification to the electronic device of the user through the gateway 25. On the contrary, if the signal processor 23 determines that the inductance value does not fall within the foreign object detection range, the signal processor 23 may perform step S301 again to continue to measure the inductance value of the charging coil 22.

Please refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 7 , wherein FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling the mobile vehicle to move to the designated area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 7 , the method of controlling the mobile vehicle to move to the designated area includes: step S401: controlling the gateway to receive designated time and the designated area; and step S403: notifying the automatic pilot system to move the mobile vehicle to the designated area at the designated time. The method of controlling the mobile vehicle to move to the designated area shown in FIG. 7 may be a detailed method of an embodiment of step S101 of FIG. 3 . The method of controlling the mobile vehicle to move to the designated area shown in FIG. 7 may be adapted to the wireless charging and positioning device 2 shown in FIG. 4 , and the following exemplarily explains the method of controlling the mobile vehicle to move to the designated area shown in FIG. 7 with the wireless charging and positioning device 2 shown in FIG. 4 .

In step S401, the signal processor 23 controls the gateway 25 to receive the designated time and the designated area from the electronic device of the user, and the designated time and the designated area have a corresponding relationship therebetween, wherein the designated time is the time designated by the user. In step S403, the signal processor 23 notifies the automatic pilot system to control the mobile vehicle to move to (arrive at) the designated area at the designated time, for the charging coil 22 to receive power from the power supply device at the designated time.

In other words, user may schedule the charging of the mobile vehicle based on their needs, and the mobile vehicle may move to the designated area at the scheduled designated time, for the power supply device to charge the battery of the mobile vehicle at the designated time. Through the above structure, when the mobile vehicle is not in use or when the power supply device is off-peak, the user may control the mobile vehicle to move to the designated area for wireless charging.

In the above embodiments, the vehicle-mounted electronic product of the present disclosure may be applied to vehicle-mounted devices, such as self-driving cars, electric cars, or semi-self-driving cars etc.

In view of the above description, the wireless charging and positioning device and method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may control the charging coil to receive power from the power supply device after confirming that the distance between the mobile vehicle and the power supply device is appropriate. Accordingly, the battery charging efficiency of the mobile vehicle may be effectively improved. In addition, when the charging efficiency does not meet the default efficiency, by using the gateway to notify the user, the user may know the charging status and location of the mobile vehicle, and then arrange the mobile vehicle to leave the designated area. The efficiency of wireless charging may be improved by adjusting the angle and position of the mobile vehicle relative to the power supply device through UWB positioning technology. Further, the user may control the mobile vehicle to be charged when the mobile vehicle is not in use or when the power supply device is off-peak. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A wireless charging and positioning device, adapted to a mobile vehicle, comprising: an ultra-wideband transceiver disposed at the mobile vehicle, and configured to transmit a pulse wave signal and receive a reflected signal in response to the pulse wave signal; a charging coil disposed at the mobile vehicle, and controlled to charging a battery of the mobile vehicle; and a signal processor connected to the ultra-wideband transceiver and the charging coil, and configured to control the ultra-wideband transceiver to transmit the pulse wave signal and obtain the reflected signal when the mobile vehicle locates in a designated area where a power supply device is disposed in, determine a distance between the mobile vehicle and the power supply device according to the reflected signal, and control the charging coil to receive power from the power supply device to charge the battery when the distance falls within a default range.
 2. The wireless charging and positioning device according to claim 1, wherein the mobile vehicle has an automatic pilot system, and the wireless charging and positioning device further comprises: a battery management system connected to the signal processor, and configured to be connected to the battery of the mobile vehicle and measure the battery to generate a charging efficiency; wherein the signal processor is further configured to be connected to the automatic pilot system, receive the charging efficiency from the battery management system, determine whether the charging efficiency satisfies a default efficiency, and notify the automatic pilot system to adjust a direction or position of a vehicle body of the mobile vehicle when the charging efficiency does not satisfy the default efficiency.
 3. The wireless charging and positioning device according to claim 1, further comprising: a battery management system connected to the signal processor, and configured to be connected to the charging coil and measure the charging coil to generate an inductance value; wherein the signal processor is further configured to control the charging coil to stop receiving the power when the inductance value falls within a foreign object detection range.
 4. The wireless charging and positioning device according to claim 3, further comprising: a gateway connected to the signal processor, wherein the signal processor is further configured to output a notification through the gateway when the inductance value falls within the foreign object detection range.
 5. The wireless charging and positioning device according to claim 1, wherein the mobile vehicle has an automatic pilot system, and the wireless charging and positioning device further comprises: a gateway connected to the signal processor, and configured to receive designated time and the designated area, wherein the signal processor is further configured to be connected to the automatic pilot system, and notify the automatic pilot system to move the mobile vehicle to the designated area at the designated time.
 6. A wireless charging and positioning method, performed by a signal processor, comprising: obtaining information associated with a location of a mobile vehicle; controlling an ultra-wideband transceiver to transmit a pulse wave signal and obtain a reflected signal when the location of the mobile vehicle is in a designated area where a power supply device is disposed in; determining a distance between the mobile vehicle and the power supply device according to the reflected signal; determining whether the distance falls within a default range; and controlling a charging coil of the mobile vehicle to receive power from the power supply device to charge a battery of the mobile vehicle when the distance falls within a default range.
 7. The wireless charging and positioning method according to claim 6, wherein the mobile vehicle has an automatic pilot system, and the method further comprises: controlling a battery management system to measure the battery to generate a charging efficiency; determining whether the charging efficiency satisfies a default efficiency; and notifying the automatic pilot system to adjust a direction or position of a vehicle body of the mobile vehicle when the charging efficiency does not satisfy the default efficiency.
 8. The wireless charging and positioning method according to claim 6, further comprising: controlling a battery management system to measure the charging coil to generate an inductance value; determining whether the inductance value falls within a foreign object detection range; and controlling the charging coil to stop receiving the power when the inductance value falls within the foreign object detection range.
 9. The wireless charging and positioning method according to claim 8, further comprising: outputting a notification through a gateway when the inductance value falls within the foreign object detection range.
 10. The wireless charging and positioning method according to claim 6, wherein the mobile vehicle has an automatic pilot system, and controlling the mobile vehicle to move to the designated area where the power supply device is disposed at comprises: controlling a gateway to receive designated time and the designated area; and notifying the automatic pilot system to move the mobile vehicle to the designated area at the designated time. 